I've been resisting the pull to this thread, but I can't help it now. How nice are the eyeshadows and liners, anyway? They stay put, you say? *wipes drool away with tissue*
All of mine are basically wal-mart brand crap, with the exception of the CVS brand crap. Only a handful blend well, and NONE stay put. I put it on my eyelids, and it ends up wearing off and spreading to below my eyebrows. Or if I have a lot on, when I blink it creases. None of my eyeliners stay put, either.
And how do you determine colors that are good for your eyes/face/skin tone?
Hahaha got you hooked, huh?
I'll put it this way - when I'm using MAC eyeshadow and liner, I can go clubbing for the majority of the night, dance the entire time, come home, and the makeup is still there. They might be pricier eye shadows, but they also last FOREVER.
Another brand I swear by for eyeshadows is Urban Decay. They have fantastic colors, and similarly, last a LONG time. A little goes a long way. (I have an "Oil Slick" from literally over four years ago). They're also incredibly creative, color-wise, and if you want an eyeshadow with glitter that looks sexy instead of cheap or tacky, there is not a single brand that beats them. They have the glitter-shadow market cornered.
As for testing which colors look best on your skin tone and type, I'll be honest when I say I just wildly experiment. I don't like rules that tell you what is supposed to look good on you and what colors you should avoid - who says? If I apply it well and creatively, *I'll* be the one to decide if it looks good. I guess one rule that I tend to follow (although I've been experimenting recently, so I'll see if I change my own mind), is that yellow is a hard color for most people to pull off, as it often pulls out really unflattering tones in your skin. If you have darker skin, you've got a better chance of looking good in yellow than pale girls like me.
If you're nervous about really experimenting, start off with very basic, neutral colors. A good artist can help you do this, but I can tell you two neutrals I really like are MAC "Shroom" and MAC "Wedge" (I use them together). The neutrals are great for every day wear (if you like to wear makeup every day, which I do), but you can make them more dramatic for night by applying them more darkly, and giving yourself a smoky eye. I like dipping my brush in a bit of water, and then getting a little patch of the eyeshadow wet - the wet tends to stay on REALLY well if you do it before you go out at night.
After you get your neutrals, buy ONE color that you love just for it's own sake - don't worry about whether or not it's green and you have green eyes, etc, etc, just buy it, and when you have some free time, experiment a bit. You're going to use that to play up the drama, so wear it "for real" once you're comfortable with doing it on a night out - ie, make sure you've tried the look before and are happy with the effect. If it's a really bright color, I tend to use it a bit sparingly (ie don't cover your entire lid with it the first time out), but brightly, to make my eyes "pop." So I might use a really bright aqua on the "table" of my eyelid, for example.